Tom Coughlin’s touch already evident in Jacksonville

A great deal of Jaguars decision makers are set to address reporters on Thursday, including owner Shad Khan, newly-minted head coach Doug Marrone, general manager David Caldwell and president Mark Lamping. But after reading the official press release sent out by the club on Wednesday, it was made fairly obvious who is really in charge.

Coughlin, officially named the team’s executive vice president of football operations, is bringing his penchant for being five minutes early all the way from Northern New Jersey, where he tortured hundreds of perpetually late Giants players over the last decade with clocks in the team’s facility that were universally wound back. When Coughlin’s eventual successor, Ben McAdoo, first arrived in East Rutherford as an offensive coordinator in 2015, Coughlin warned him not to (mess) with the clocks.

I profiled Coughlin back in 2013 for The Star-Ledger and got to look at his daily schedule. If the Jaguars believed at all that they were in need of discipline, than hiring a man who budgets time for “snack” and “coffee and walk around the locker room” should patch up any cracks in the foundation quickly.

Coughlin’s second stint in Jacksonville will be nothing short of fascinating. His reputation teetered on dictatorial during his head coaching stint with the Jaguars. He was eventually forced to soften his stance with players and coaches in New York, though that took a few years as well.